Thursday, December 31, 2015

(Note: I missed a handful of big name
movies this year, including Creed, Spectre and The Martian, just
to name a few. Additionally, films like The Hateful Eight and The
Revenant are not yet in wide release, but watch out for those reviews over
the next couple of weeks.)

10. Mad Max: Fury Road (R)

Run Time: 120 mins

My Rating: 7/10

While some critics may place this
even higher on their own personal lists, I still had a total blast watching
this relentless, crazy movie. Praised as one of the best pure action movies in
years, the sequences in this film are brutal and absolutely thrilling, loaded
with mind boggling visual effects and plenty of big budget
explosions.

9. Ant-Man (PG-13)

Run Time: 117 mins

My Rating: 7.5/10

I found the twelfth installment in
the absurdly successful Marvel Cinematic Universe to be a surprisingly
enjoyable summer action hit.Although it
is certainly not on the big time scale of some of their other projects, there
were tons of awesome action scenes to keep the story moving and the visual
effects used for the Ant-Man sequences were absolutely stunning to watch.

8. Straight Outta Compton (R)

Run Time: 147 mins

My Rating: 8/10

Telling the story of the rap group
known as N.W.A., this movie was perhaps the singular biggest sleeper hit of the
summer blockbuster season. The seemingly unknown actors of the cast portrayed
these distinct cultural icons in such an incredibly realistic manner, leading
the way for what is an entertaining, intense and emotionally powerful film,
despite the extreme content and language.

7. Furious 7 (PG-13)

Run Time: 137 mins

My Rating: 8/10

Ironically enough, the seventh
installment of what has developed into a worldwide blockbuster franchise falls
at the same numbered spot on my list. While extremely over the top and
unbelievable at times, it is still an excellent action film, one of the
absolute best in the series, and above all, an emotionally moving sendoff to
the late Paul Walker; a truly beloved Hollywood star.

6. Black Mass (R)

Run Time: 122 mins

My Rating: 8.5/10

One of my favorite actors of all
time, Johnny Depp undeniably delivers the performance of a lifetime in what I
thought was an awesome and violently realistic Boston gangster film. Depp
completely blew it out of the park with his portrayal of the notorious gangster
Whitey Bulger and flat out owned every scene he was in.

5. Avengers: Age of Ultron (PG-13)

Run Time: 141 mins

My Rating: 9/10

Sequel to the 2012 blockbuster, The
Avengers and the eleventh installment in the record-breaking franchise,
this movie had unbelievably high expectations to live up to. I personally
thought it met those expectations, in my opinion topping its very impressive
predecessor largely due to the more serious/dark tone throughout.

4. Southpaw (R)

Run Time: 123 mins

My Rating: 9/10

The extremely underrated Jake
Gyllenhaal follows up 2013s Prisoners and last year’s Nightcrawler with yet
another performance that is worthy of an Oscar nod. Highlighted by his physical
and psychological transformation, this is a gut-wrenching film that was
honestly far more intense than I ever anticipated it to be.

3. Kingsman: The Secret Service (R)

Run Time: 129 mins

My Rating: 9/10

Although it is officially listed as a
2014 film, this Matthew Vaughn directed spy movie didn't actually hit theaters
until this past February. Nonetheless, it seems like a summer blockbuster and I
just have so much fun with this movie every time every time I re-watch it. It
almost feels like you're watching a Quentin Tarantino/ James Bond film, which
makes for a blast of an action movie.

2. Inside Out (PG)

Run Time: 95 mins

My Rating: 9.5/10

I can’t believe I allowed myself to wait a few weeks to catch
this gem, as it is in my opinion Pixar’s best work to date, standing only behind The Lion King on
my list of favorite animated films. The visuals are completely breathtaking and
there are more than a few heartfelt moments that had me tearing up. This is a
masterpiece of visual storytelling that genuinely speaks to people of any age.

1.Star Wars: The Force Awakens (PG-13)

Run Time: 135 mins

My Rating: 10/10

This monumental movie event of a
generation somehow surpassed the sky high expectations it had. Perfectly
executed by director J.J. Abrams and everyone else involved in the amazing
project, I truly couldn't speak any higher of this film. Balancing incredible
new characters with lovable old faces, this is an unbelievably enjoyable movie,
but also an epic and emotionally powerful adventure.

When it comes to movie theater
etiquette, I am of the most disciplined. My cell phone is turned off, all
attention is directed toward the screen, and I have such an aversion for people
who talk during movies that I almost always go alone to help amplify the
silence. With that said, I still cheered aloud more than once during Creed.

Anyone familiar with the Rocky films will
instantly recognize the name for which Creed
gets its title. Champion fighter Rocky “The Italian Stallion” Balboa
(Sylvester Stallone) first encountered boxer Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) in
the franchise’s first picture, Rocky,
in 1976. What started as a rivalry eventually blossomed into a friendship, with
Apollo Creed making his final appearance in Rocky
IV. After that followed two additional movies, finally bringing us to Creed, a film that celebrates the
legacies of both Rocky and Apollo, while equally serving as a pass-the-torch
moment in Rocky’s decades-long story. This time around, director Ryan Coogler
reunites with his Fruitville Station
star Michael B. Jordan, portraying the love child of an affair Apollo Creed
once had.

When we’re introduced to our main
character, we see a rebellious youth whose scrappy ways keep him in juvenile
detention. Born under the name Adonis Johnson, the young man’s life makes an
about-face turn when a woman enters the picture, requesting to take him home
and raise him in a loving environment. The woman identifies herself as Apollo
Creed’s widow, Mary Anne (Phylicia Rashad). Although she isn’t Adonis’s birth
mother, Mary Anne takes him under her wing and raises him as her own. Mary Anne
wants nothing more than to see Adonis succeed in any field other than the one
his father was famous in, but, true to his roots, Adonis won’t be satisfied
until he can become a boxer—one who could rival his own father’s legacy. Though
Mary Anne protests, Adonis sets off for Philadelphia to find Rocky Balboa and
ask for his help in becoming the boxer he’s always aspired to be.

This Rocky Balboa isn’t the one we’ve
seen in previous films. This Rocky is worn, weathered, and content with living
a quiet life while remaining Philadelphia’s champ. Upon introduction, Rocky is
surprised but happy to know that Apollo Creed has a son who wants to honor his
father through fighting. He’s hesitant, however, and has to tell Adonis the
unfortunate truth: He just doesn’t have any fight left in him. With
persistence, Adonis eventually convinces Rocky that, through training, this is
something they both need to make their lives whole. Creed does a wonderful job at making us sympathize for an aging
character audiences have known for ages. You can’t help but watch Creed and think beyond the screen,
pondering over how age affects fictional and non-fictional people alike. Creed parallels 1976s Rocky in so many ways, but it does so in
the name of admiration and respect. We live in a world of generic remakes and
“reimaginings”, and this is certainly not the case when it comes to Creed. By the film’s finale, Rocky has
trained Adonis for the fight of his life (so far) and Adonis agrees to adopt
Creed as a last name, completing the pieces of a once-broken life. As the
saying goes, every new beginning comes from some beginning’s end. Creed is such a good movie, that I hope
this is the case. As time progresses, it’s inevitable that we see less of Rocky
Balboa. With that said, the world would be a better place if, down the road, we
see plenty more of Adonis Creed.

Saturday, December 12, 2015

Believe it or not, American cinema in
the late ‘70s and early ‘80s provided audiences with a sub-genre so mismatched,
so specific, that it seems borderline absurd: Holiday-themed horror. I was
worried that the days of such films were long gone. Alas, along comes Krampus in all of its mean-spirited
glory, new and ridiculous to younger viewers who didn’t grow up on these flicks
and a refreshing revival for the viewers who did. I could rattle off a list of
the “classic” holiday horror movies, but the pinnacle of them is 1984’s Gremlins. Krampus would make the ideal double feature to Gremlins. Director Michael Doughtery has successfully made a piece
of work that both acts as an homage to those movies, while proudly standing on
its own.

For those unfamiliar with the legend,
it’s easiest to describe Krampus as the anti-Santa. Krampus, celebrated in certain
areas of Europe for more than 100 years, comes once a year to punish the bad
children. This Krampus definitely
makes good on tradition, racking up 98 minutes worth of naughty children paying
their dues—along with the adults who spawned them. What brings Krampus to town
this time, however, is a young boy who is fairly well-behaved, named Max (Emjay
Anthony). Upon discovering his newest letter to Santa, Max’s terrible cousins
relentlessly mock him about his belief in the big guy in red, leading Max to
tear up the letter and throw it out his bedroom window. And with that one
action, Krampus is called to work. Within minutes, Max and his entire family
become stranded in their home by a blizzard, unaware of the terror(s) headed
their way.

An ensemble cast that includes Toni
Collette, David Koechner, and Adam Scott does a wonderful job of walking a fine
line between, “This can’t really be happening,” and, “Oh my God, this is really
happening!”

The movie doesn’t take long to swing
into action. Max conjures the beast not long into the first act, providing
plenty of time for chaos galore. As if Krampus himself wasn’t scary enough, he
brings along a bag of deformed versions of familiar toys to help spread the
holiday fright. There’s very little gore in Krampus
but that doesn’t mean it’s short on scares—there are plenty of those from start
to finish.

Krampus is tailored to
families with a slightly morbid sense of humor who might be looking for some
off-the-beaten-path fun this Christmas. It’s too scary for young children, but
just scary enough for the pre-teen set on. If you’re tired of traditional
holiday movies and you want something just dark enough that it puts a smile on
your face, then Krampus is the
perfect gift for you.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 is the
fourth and final installment of The Hunger Games film series based off
the popular trilogy of books by Suzanne Collins. As with many other book-to-movie
franchises, the concluding chapter of this dystopian science-fiction story was
split into two separate parts. Personally, I thought that Part 1 was a
pretty decent movie, but it definitely suffered a little bit from being the
build up to the final act. Having said that, I was really hoping that Part 2
would deliver an epic sendoff to the blockbuster saga. In the end, I
thought that this moviedidn’t quite live up to its high expectations,
but it was still a satisfying conclusion to what has become an absolute global
phenomenon.

To no surprise, the impressive cast of the previous films
returned for this finale including: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam
Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Julianne Moore, Donald Sutherland and the late Phillip
Seymour Hoffman. With so much going on in the plot twisting story of this
climatic final chapter, I will keep my summary short and sweet. Obviously, this
movie picks up right after the cliffhanger ending to Part 1. Taking
place in the futuristic continent of Panem, the war between the corrupt Capitol
and the rest of the districts has finally come. Now it is up to Katniss
Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) to fully embody her leadership role in the
rebellion and overthrow President Snow (Donald Sutherland) once and for all.

Overall, I had a pretty enjoyable time watching this
movie. Being the final chapter of a blockbuster series of this level, big time
special effects and climatic action sequences are practically a given, and this
film certainly had plenty of each. It made for a pretty entertaining movie that
also had some quality acting, particularly from Jennifer Lawrence in the lead
role.

However, I think the one glaring issue with this film is
the pacing of the story. Similarly to its predecessor, there are more than a
few moments when this movie just loses steam and drags on. I think this goes to
show that it was really unnecessary to break this final chapter into two parts,
as a single, fast paced film would have been more effective. Putting that aside,
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 is still a quality time at the
movies that should satisfy fans of the franchise.